Awaken Memory
by Ashi Ruby
Summary: Maha, a water craft user from America, comes to Japan and asks for the help of the STNJ to stop a witch who is after Robin. Reposted, edited, and complete. First WHR fic. Please R&R.
1. The User of the Water Craft

Author's Note: I do not own Witch Hunter Robin, but the idea for this story and the characters not related to WHR are mine.

Also, this is a story I'm reposting, so if this seems familiar to you, then you probably read it before. XD

* * *

_Three hundred and twenty years have passed since the coven sank in the dark._

_A memory forgotten and reborn._

_A secret kept for painful years._

_A victim who lost the piece of her life leads her to fall into the raging flames of a witch's jealousy_.

* * *

Awaken Memory

Chapter 1: The User of the Water Craft

_"Robin! Hold on!"_

_The feeling of a hand and a voice filled with worry were the only thing keeping her from falling down to the barren, hard ground way below them. 10-year-old Robin Sena fell through the newly burned floor of her friend's treehouse, caused by a little 11-year-old girl who stared at her with angry green-blue eyes, her fire red hair floating then falling gently as her eyes seem to stop glowing._

_"Now you die," proclaimed the girl._

_A fire rushed over Robin, followed by the cool feeling of water. A curse fills as the sound of hard footsteps are heard, running away. Suddenly, a slip of the hand and the young Robin falls to the ground, only hearing the voice of the one who held her hand tightly screaming._

_"Robin!"_

_As Robin falls and hits the ground, a scream is heard throughout the dark room. _

This scream came from 15-year-old Robin Sena, alone in her room in her apartment she shared with a young woman named Touka. Her breathing was fast and full of a fear she never felt in her dreams before.

"It was a dream? It felt so real...like something that happened to me and I don't remember it at all," she whispered into the dark.

_RING! RING!_

It was Robin's phone for her work at STN-J. "Must be Michael. I wonder what is it," she whispered, looking at the clock. It said 3:32 a.m.

"Yes?"

"Hey Robin. Did I wake you?" asked Michael.

"No, I just woke up. What is it?"

"Do you think you could get over here by 4:30? I just got a message from a craft user from STN-A about her coming over here to follow a case of a very dangerous witch that recently came to Tokyo."

"STN-A?"

"It's basically STN-J, just in America. So can you try and get over here by then?"

"Yes, I can. I'll see you at 4:30 then."

"All right, cool. Bye."

* * *

When Robin arrived at the STN-J Headquarters, Michael and Amon were already there, both getting the rest of the information needed to find and know who the craft user from STN-A was. Her hello was a simple yawn and a slow walk to the coffee machine.

"Oh, hello Robin. Are you okay? You look a little pale today," said Michael, looking at her with concern.

"It's nothing, really. I'm--_yawn_--still a little tired. And it's kinda cold outside. I'm just getting a quick cup of coffee before we leave," she said with a small smile. Michael turned back to the computer and printed out the information he just typed up for Amon and Robin to use.

"Well, this is all the information I got that she sent to me. I guess you will find out more when you meet her," Michael said, handing the newly printed paper to Amon. "Thank you, Michael. Robin, hurry up, we're going," he said, staring at Robin, who was stirring her coffee slowly with drooping eyes. Her eyes instantly perked up and followed him out the door. "Good bye, Michael," she said. Michael smiled and then turned back to his computer.

After a time of quiet driving, Robin cleared her throat and looked at Amon. "So...what is the name of this craft user? And what is her craft?" she asked calmly. Amon let out a slient sigh and looked at the paper of information that Michael printed out.

"Her name is Maha Raychin. She uses a water-craft user. 16 years old," he said. The name clicked in Robin's mind. "Maha Raychin...I remember her!" she said with a tone of surprise in her voice. Amon's eyes shifted to her, in a way asking her how. "I lived in America when I was 10. Maha was my best friend then. I remember all the fun we had in school," Robin said.

Suddenly, an image flashed in her mind...the face of a young, 11-year-old Maha, with her long, tanish-blondish hair tied back in a blue ribbon that spread out behind her head, her pale brown eyes full of worry. Her hand was grabbing tightly Robin's hand, scared to let go. A bump on the road brought Robin back to reality and a great pain to her head. Her hand reached up to her head in a reflex to the pain.

Amon looked at her with a curious eye. "Robin? Is something wrong?" he asked. "I'm fine. My head just hurts a bit, that's all," she said softly, leaning back in her seat, still holding her head with her fingertips. Amon's eyes turned back to the road ahead, but at times he still looked at her to make sure she was all right.

* * *

"Passport please, ma'am. Hmm...all right...okay, your papers seem to be in order. Thank you ma'am. Please enjoy your trip," said the attendent to 16-year-old girl named Maha Raychin. She looked at her papers in her hand and then placed them in her purse. With her purse and her rolling bag trailing behind her, Maha walked off to a small lounge where she would wait for a couple of members from STN-J to arrive.

She came into the lounge in about three minutes, where Robin and Amon were waiting patiently for her to arrive. "Robin Sena? Is that you?" asked Maha, approaching the young girl in the long black dress. She looked up from the floor and saw Maha's still pale brown eyes and her now short hair tied back in a ponytail. "Maha...it's been a long time," she said with a smile, standing up and hugging her friend. Amon stood up and bowed to Maha.

"My name is Amon. We are here to assist you in capturing the witch you spoke of to Michael," he said. Maha nodded her head. "I can't really explain it right now, but when we get to the STN-J Headquarters, I will. For now, let the matter rest. You and I have a lot of catching up to do, Robin..." Maha said, putting her arm around Robin's shoulders and walking off with the bag trailing behind her.

* * *

In the next chapter...

We find out about the dangerous witch that came to Japan and more about Robin's dream. Also, we learn of the victim-to-be of the witch's deadly plot.

The next chapter: The Secret Untold


	2. The Secret Untold

Chapter 2: The Secret Untold 

The drive back to STN-J was quiet, except for the occasional yawn from Robin. It was too early for any talking, being that is was barely past 5:30. Robin soon drifted into sleep.

The dream she had earlier came back to her...

_Maha's younger face showing through and the intensity of the fire that was burning the younger Robin feeling worse than before. "Robin! Hold on! I can help you!" yelled the young Maha as the rush of water that came from her awakened powers overcame the power of fire that engulfed Robin's body. But with the slip of the hand, she began to fall again, Maha's voice louder than the crack that was heard when Robin landed on the ground. With that, Robin jolted awake, breathing hard and fast._

Amon had stop at a small store so that Maha could get some hot chocolate, something Amon probably would have frown upon. He turned to Robin and looked at her with deep concern. "Robin? Are you all right? What's wrong?" he asked with a tone of concern. Robin's face paled and her breathing slowly returned to normal. "I-i really don't know...I just had the same dream I had earlier, but this time...it felt more real than the first," she said, taking in a few breaths. She looked down at her shaking hands. "I don't know what it was...but it feels so real, like something I never knew but happened before," she whispered softly. Amon's face softened with a hint of worry for her, and he gently touched one of her hands and squeezed it, letting her know that he was there and that everything was all right. Robin smiled slightly, but the smile soon faded.

Maha reentered the car and the drive continued again. Robin didn't dare fall back to sleep, afraid of having the same dream again. Amon looked over at her from time to time, just to give her the feeling of reassurance that it was all just a dream...just a dream that still was missing pieces.

* * *

"Why must we get up this early, Michael? -yawn- I was having such a good sleep," said Doujima lazily, halfway falling asleep at her desk, if it wasn't for a bored Sakaki pushing his rolling chair into her chair. Karasuma looked at them and rolled her eyes. She was just about to yell at them to stop acting like fools when Robin, Amon, and Maha arrived. They all looked at Maha with a curious look, but Michael stood up. "You must be Maha Raychin, right?" he asked. She nodded, then bowed to everyone else in the room. "I am dreadfully sorry for waking you all up at this time of day, but it is very important that we get on this case immediately. If we don't, another person will fall victim to this witch's deadly powers," Maha said. This brought a great hush onto the crowd. It was quiet again...

Maha took out a small disk from the pocket of her bag and handed it to Michael. "Please upload this. After it is uploaded to the STN-J computer system, then I can start explaining everything," she said, but then she smiled in a way that made her seem less harsh than she spoke. Robin smiled inwardly. '_Just like when we were younger_,' she thought, as she followed everyone into the conference room.

The lights dimmed and the computer holographic system whirred, showing the pictures from Maha's disk.

"The witch I am after Maria Tachina. 16 years old and her power is fire. Her powers first were noticed by me when I was 11 years when she tried to kill a younger girl. After problems dealing with failure to kill the girl, she disappeared. Within the last 6 months however, she came out of hiding to find her victim, and killed three of my fellow hunters who tried to help in the capture. Maria apparently found out her target moved to Japan and now is in pursuit. This is why it is very important to find Maria before she kills her target," Maha explained.

Robin stared at the picture of Maria. Her thoughts shifted to her dream and saw the face of a younger Maria, the one on the ground with the angry green-blue eyes who was trying to burn Robin.

_With the images of Maria's face fresh in her dream, the fire that came from her eyes grew and intensify and burned Robin to where she thought that she was going to faint from the dream. The rush of water didn't help; it still burned. With a call of her name, Robin returned to reality, her hand up to her head and her breathing faster than normal._

"Robin? What's wrong?" asked Doujima, who was sitting next to her. Amon looked at her and Maha held a look of worry to Robin's reaction. Robin's breath caught and her hand slowly returned to her lap. She looked at Doujima and shyly smiled. "It's nothing. My head just hurts a bit, that's all," she said and turned back the screen, her face holding a blush that was barely even visible.

Maha's face held a tint of a guilty secret, especially in her eyes. After the meeting, she stood just outside the room, waiting...

"Amon? May I please speak with you alone? It is important that I do," Maha said as Amon walked by her. His face looked confused, but he followed Maha back into the conference room.

"What is it?" he asked. Maha breathed in deeply and began to explain everything that she held inside.

"I never said who the victim-to-be in the case. It's...it's Robin."

"What! Robin!"

"Yes...I'll try to explain everything."

Maha took in another deep breath and sat down on one of the chairs.

"Robin was 10, and Maria and I were both 11. We all lived in America. At the time, Robin knew of her powers and controlled them well. In our classes, just for a little fun, she would control little dancing fireballs that swirled around her. And for it, Maria hated her. Almost 5 years ago now, Maria tried to kill Robin."

"She burned through the floor of our clubhouse. Right under Robin's feet. I managed to grab her hand before she fell. I could see the dark look in Maria's eyes, and I knew that Robin saw it too, for she couldn't even try to defend herself. Next thing I knew, Robin was encased in fire and the only thing I could think of was to save her, which is when I awoke with my water-craft. Soon after that, Maria disappeared."

"Because of the water, I couldn't hold onto Robin's hand anymore. It slipped from my grasp...and next thing I heard was Robin falling onto the hard ground below..."

Maha wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. "She was in a coma for three days. When she woke up however, she did not remember a single thing from that day."

She stood up and looked at Amon's face, which held a sign of sadness and fear for his partner. "I believe the pain she is experiencing is from the memory coming back to her in a dream. And the pain is from remembering the fall to the ground that she experienced when I lost our grasp."

Maha looked at Robin in the other room, who was chatting with Michael and Karasuma, who held a smile on her face with a cheerful laugh. "You work really close with her, right? That means that you have to help protect her...protect her from Maria before she...kills her. I will help out as well, but with my powers, I can only really block Maria's attacks and help with any burns."

She looked at Amon. "You have to promise to protect her. Without you or I, she won't stand a chance," she said with an almost pleading tone in her voice. Amon looked at her and nodded. "I'll help protect her. She is my partner, and my friend," he said. Maha smiled slightly before leaving the room, joining Robin to have a little chat about old times.

* * *

In the next chapter...

Robin comes face-to-face with Maria and the devilish plot of the witch begins to take place. Although Amon and Maha are there to help, they seem powerless to help the scared Robin to get away from Maria's dark eyes...

The next chapter: Maria's Eyes and Robin's Fear


	3. Maria's Eyes and Robin's Fear

Author's Note: In the coming chapters, I do have a little bit of A&R fluff, so please enjoy!

Few things about Maria:

1) The Maria in this story is not trying to copy the Maria in WHR.

2) In this story, Maha has many different gadgets that are different than the ones used by the members of STN-J

* * *

Chapter 3: Maria's Eyes and Robin's Fear

_BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!_

"Huh? My tracking communicator?" Maha said, pulling out a contraption that looked like a palm pilot. "Found her. It's time to get Maria. She is not too far from here. Let's go," she said. She looked at Amon and Robin for a second, then quickly grabbed a black trench coat from her bag and slipped it on. Everyone followed her out the door to the elevator.

Amon, Robin, and Maha climbed into the black car and headed toward the location of Maria. "Building 75A. According to this, it's under construction. Maria probably chose that place to hang out at," Maha said.

* * *

As the members of STN-J surrounded the building, a young girl looked down at them. The first person she saw was Robin. A single, dancing fireball burned beside her. "It's time for my sweet revenge," she whispered softly into the darkness of the building. The fireball disappeared as the girl stood up. She closed an open hand into a fist and smiled evilly, walking towards the door into the hall.

* * *

"Stay on your toes, everyone," said Amon. He assigned everyone a position to go to for surrounding the building. Robin took out her glasses and put them on, standing next to Maha. Amon nodded at them and the three went into the building. "I hope those three will be all right," said Karasuma. Sakaki shrugged it off. "Don't worry about it. There are two craft users working together. What could go wrong?" he asked.

* * *

"I seem to got a good signal on Maria's current location. Sixth floor, west side," Maha said, looking at her tracking communicator. She quickly put it away and stood next to Amon. "I'll go first, since I know a lot more about her than you two do. Amon, you follow and Robin, follow him. Stay on guard. Maria is not afraid to attack anyone. She sent a few of my fellow hunters to the hospital with full body burns," she said. Robin's eyes widened at Maha's statement, then calmed down while holding a small tinge of fear. Maha climbed up a flight of stairs, Amon and Robin following.

Maria already knew that they were coming up the stairs to the floor.

Before Maha got up the last flight, Maria lit the stairs. "Move back!" Maha yelled. Amon took Robin's arm and they both leaned against the stairwell wall. Maha's eyes lit up with a rush of water and the fire on the stairs flickered out. She ran up the stairs and stared at the face of Maria, whose eyes held the fire of anger and rage. Amon and Robin ran up after her, Robin ready to use her craft and Amon's gun of Orbo pointed at the dark fire witch.

"More reinforcements, Maha? I would think you would have known by now that I'm just too much for you," Maria's cold voice spoke, looking at Amon, then focusing her attention to Robin.

Maria gasped. "Robin Sena. Finally I got you again," she said. Her eyes glowed with the same intensity as they were those years ago.

Robin's memory of those eyes flashed in her mind and she fell to her knees, moaning in pain and her hands came to her head in a protective grasp. "Th-those eyes...th-they..." Robin stuttered, looking down at the ground with fear and pain, the memory of those eyes flashing in her mind.

"Robin! Robin!" Maha called, but she couldn't hear Maha's voice. The pain was bearing down on her. Maria chuckled low in her throat, then focused her eyes on Robin. Her eyes burned with fire and it swallowed Robin, the pain growing worse around her body. Robin's scream was heard throughout the hallway. "Robin!" Amon screamed her name, then focused her gun on Maria and shot a fire of Orbo.

It missed, but it stopped the fire from engulfing and hurting Robin. Maha rushed cool water over Robin's body, calming and soothing the burning pain. She moaned slightly from pain and fell unconscious, everything taking its toll on her. Amon shot at Maria again, but she ran off before the bullet of Orbo hit her. "I'll be back soon. It's no fun when she can't defend herself on her own," Maria said, disappearing quicker than Amon could chase her.

"Robin...Is she...?" Amon said, leaning over Robin and looking at Maha. "No. She's just unconscious. It looks like that there is a big burn on her right arm, and she probably experienced a lot of pain from her awaken memory. You should take her to the hospital. I have to get in my report to STN-A and start tracking Maria's movements again," Maha said, standing up and pulling out her tracking communicator. Amon nodded, and lifted Robin up into his arms. Robin slightly moaned, still showing that she was suffering some pain. He and Maha traveled down the stairs back to the rest of STN-J.

* * *

In the next chapter...

Robin's memory shows fear in her eyes as she awakes with her new flesh wound. Can Amon try and calm her? Maha tracks down Maria again and swears that this will be the final battle.

The next chapter: Amon's Promise


	4. Amon's Promise

Author's Note: If you are a A&R fan, you will love this chapter!

* * *

Chapter 4: Amon's Promise

Robin could hear the voices, but she couldn't see the people speaking. Her eyes would not open. It was like she lost all feeling and control in her body.

A touch on her arm from a soft hand...a rougher hand on her forehead...it came to her slowly. The feeling of fire that burned her body went away quickly with those touches.

"So what happened to her?" asked a young man. '_It sounds like one of the doctors I saw when I hurt my arm that one time_,' Robin thought.

"She was cooking bacon in the kitchen for everyone, then she accidentally hit the handle of the pan. The grease splattered on her arm, and she fell back and hit her head very hard against some of the back cabinets," said a dark voice nearby. Robin easily recognized this voice. '_Amon...he's here with me_,' Robin thought.

She heard the doctor leave and a younger woman, his nurse Robin could only guess, began to talk softly and wrap a cloth around her arm. "Well, I hope this doesn't happen again. It has to hurt very bad," said the young woman. Amon chuckled softly. "I know, I know," he said.

Robin's thoughts turned to the look of Maria's eyes. It scared her...it really scared her. They reminded her of demon eyes. Eyes from a childish nightmare. She couldn't keep it in. Although her eyes were closed and couldn't open just yet, she cried out.

"Amon...I'm scared..." Robin said wearily. She could sense Amon bend over her as he grabbed her hand. "It's all right, Robin. I'm here, I'm here," he whispered, squeezing her hand. He knew what she was afraid of...that failed hunt and seeing Maria. It hurt her badly. '_If I was her, I probably be a little scared myself_,' he thought, continuing to squeeze and rub her hand. Tears poured freely from Robin's closed eyes as she continued cry out.

Suddenly an image of Maha burning from Maria's fire sprung Robin's eyes open and she lifted up, breathing heavily. "Maha!" she cried out. Amon looked at her and held his hands softly on her shoulders. "Maha is fine, Robin. She didn't get hurt by the grease," he said, his eyes flickering for her not to say anything about the hunt. The nurse looked confused for a second, then she smiled and finished wrapping up the wound. "Well, it's all done, Robin. You can go now. Thank you for being a good sport," said the nurse, walking out.

* * *

"Is Maha all right?" Robin asked as she and Amon walked through the courtyard back to the car. Amon looked down at her for a moment. Her eyes were full of worry and fear, and even that spooked him. "Maha is fine. She's back at STN-J filing a report and finding Maria's new location. She ran off soon as you collapsed," he said quietly. Robin sniffled a bit and stopped walking to look at Amon. "You know what happened...why I'm having the images in my head. Please tell me," she asked, a tear streaming down her cheek.

"It's an awaken memory. What you see you experienced about 5 years ago. 3 days after the incident, you woke up from a coma not remembering a thing. Maha believes that because of the recent events, the memory is showing itself, awoken. Seeing Maria today probably was the last piece," he said, looking at her face that was stung with the streams from her tears.

"I was...scared...Maria's eyes were like those of a demon...of one that attacks in dreams. It scared me back then, when I first saw it, and it frightened me now...seeing her eyes made me think I was going to...," Robin whispered as she drifted off, bowing her head down so Amon wouldn't see the many tears running down her face again. She was terribly frightened and showing any more weakness to Amon would make everything worse.

A grab on an unbandaged arm pulled Robin close as a pair of arms encircled her and rubbed her back. "It's all right. I'm here. Don't worry," Amon whispered into her hair. Robin softly cried into his chest as Amon continued to hold her and try to make her feel less afraid.

Amon lifted Robin's head up just enough for her to look him in the eyes. He leaned in and gently kissed her forehead. It surprised Robin slightly and she looked up at her partner. "I promise that I'll protect you. I'll make sure Maria doesn't kill you," he quietly said. Robin looked a little puzzled at first, then she smiled and lifted up her hand. "Pinky promise?" she asked in a childish way. Amon chuckled slightly to himself and interlocked his pinky with hers. "Pinky promise. Aren't you a little old for that?" he asked. Robin giggled and shook her head. They continued to walk back to the car, back to STN-J to prepare for the next meeting.

* * *

_Back at STN-J..._

"Hey, Miss Karasuma? Contact Miss Doujima and check building 36D. It should be abandoned, but something clicked on my tracking communicator. It might not be Maria, but check it out anyway," Maha said. "Okay, got it!" Karasuma said back.

Michael looked at Maha. "Another signal?" he asked. "Yeah. Probably a cat or something, but just to make sure. Can't take any chances of it. Did my report go through?" Maha asked. Michael nodded his head.

"So, do you go on any hunts?"

"Nope. I'm not allowed to leave the building."

"Why is that?"

"Let's say I did something wrong and the boss caught me. Now I'm forbidden to leave."

"Man, that must be awful."

"Sometimes, but not all the time."

The two of them laughed for a few moments, then continued a pleasant conversation. It was peaceful for once at STN-J.

_BEEP BEEP! BEEP BEEP!_

"My communicator!" Maha exclaimed, pulling it out. There was a signal from an old automotive parts factory just a little bit outside of town. Suddenly, Michael's computer beeped, signaling a message. "Huh?" Michael said, turning around to his computer. There was a message...from Maria.

_Hey Maha, when will you learn you'll never be able to get me? You can never hunt me down._

The look in Maha's eyes flickered with immense emotion. "Michael...open a reply and let me send back a message," she said stiffly. Michael must have understood that she was angered by Maria's message. He opened a reply screen and moved back.

_Trust me, I will hunt you down for what you did. This will be the final battle. I will not let you kill Robin or anyone else._

Her reply was sent and Maha grabbed her trench. "Michael, call Miss Karasuma and Mr. Sakaki and tell them to meet Amon, Robin, and I at the South Japan Auto Parts Factory and tell them to be ready for one hell of a hunt," she said, running out the door. Then she popped her head back in and smiled. "If you could do that please," she said, then she winked and ran out. Michael chuckled slightly and started calling up everyone.

* * *

In the next chapter...

It's time for Robin to face Maria in one final hunt! Can she do it?

The next chapter: No More Fear


	5. No More Fear

Chapter 5: No More Fear

_RING! RING!_

Amon's phone rang as soon as he and Robin entered into the car. He picked it up and answered it. "Amon here," he said. Robin looked at him curiously, waiting to see who it was.

_"Amon, it's Maha. Do you have Robin with you?"_

"Yeah. What's wrong?"

_"I found Maria again. She is at the old South Japan Auto Parts Factory. Michael already called the others to the location."_

"Where are you at?"

_"I'm right outside of STN-J. Please come and pick me up so we can get this hunt on the way."_

"All right."

Amon quickly put away his phone and looked at Robin. "You ready to face Maria again?" he asked calmly. Robin only nodded, staring at her bandaged arm. "I can't be afraid to face her," Robin whispered. Amon nodded at her decision and started up the car. "Then we are ready to go," he said, backing up and headed to STN-J.

* * *

"This is where that witch is hiding at? It's a dump," Doujima said dumbly. Sakaki groaned. "Who cares where she hides? As long as we get her out, everything will be fine," he said. Maha stared at him. "Don't fully count on that logic. Maria is good at surprising. She killed one of my closest friends and fellow hunter when he was least expecting it," she said with an almost eerie tone in her voice. Sakaki's face paled and he gulped. Doujima tried to laugh, but she held it in, somewhat trying not to irritate Maha.

"All right, enough chat. Maha, Robin, and I will go in and try to get Maria. Sakaki, Doujima, you spread out and check all sides of the building and watch to make sure Maria tries not to escape. If she does, hit her with the orbo, but be careful. Karasuma, you stay out front and keep us on track with everything going on. We'll contact you once we get Maria in our possession for you to call Michael and get the Factory out here. Got it?" Amon said, giving out the orders needed. Everyone nodded.

Robin put on her glasses and draped her dark coat sleeve over her bandaged arm. Maha grabbed her tracking communicator from her trench pocket. "Ready?" Amon asked. Robin and Maha both nodded and the trio ran into the building. "Be careful!" yelled Karasuma as they entered.

* * *

"All right...she should be somewhere on this floor," Maha said, staring at her tracking communicator. Amon readied his orbo gun, determined not to miss this time. Robin looked around the place, taking Maha's words to heart and determined not to let Maria's eyes scare her again.

Robin was too busy in her thoughts that she turned down a different hallway than Amon and Maha...into Maria's trap.

Fire burned on her arm and Robin quickly rushed it out. Maria popped out from the darkness. "So, little Robin has come again. Going to actually defend yourself this time?" she said cruelly, her eyes full of anger and rage. Robin's eyes flickered with fear for a second, then it quickly faded away as another rush of fire came at her. She used her own power to stop Maria's fire.

"Oh, so now you try to stop me, little bird?"

"I'm not afraid of you anymore. I know what you try to do to me almost 5 years ago and I won't let it happen now."

A cold chuckle filled the darkness. "We'll see."

The flames from both fire craft users kept coming and coming, each canceling out the others. But after just a few minutes, Robin became tired. '_She is fast with her powers. Too fast for me to keep up_,' Robin thought, her breathing becoming irregular. Maria's cold laugh filled the hall again as she sent another wave of fire at Robin. This time, Robin couldn't counter it. Her scream rang loud throughout the hall and into the other, where Amon and Maha were exploring.

"Amon! Did you hear that?"

"It sounded like Robin."

The two turned around and didn't see Robin. Maha gasped. "Robin! Maria must have attacked her!" she exclaimed. She and Amon ran back through that hall and into the next, where they saw Robin's body engulfed in flames.

Amon shot at Maria, hitting her in the back and stopping her from burning Robin. Maha rushed cool water over Robin, who fell the ground. "Ma-Ma-Maha...A-Amon..." she studdered, getting up slowly, her body weak from trying to fight Maria.

Amon approached Robin, placing his gun into one of his trench pockets and helped her up to her feet. "Robin, what were you thinking going off on your own? You could have been killed!" he barked at her. "I-i didn't mean to. I j-just got separated from you and didn't know it," she said, leaning her arm against Amon for support as she tried to regain balance. She was dizzy and weak, and it was hard to keep her body in control.

Maria wasn't done...

She lifted her head and continued to try and kill Robin. This time, instead of burning her, she burned the floor underneath the three. They all fell, Amon and Maha holding on tight while Robin held onto Amon's left hand, trying her best not to let go.

"Maria! What are you doing?" Maha demanded. Maria managed to crawl over to the hole and looked down at the three with her cold eyes. "You think that I'm done, don't you? You are so very wrong," she said and her eyes began to burn Robin again. Maha managed to wash her down with her water-craft. Robin's eyes grew heavy as the water seeped over, her body feeling weak and it was almost impossible for her to feel anything. Her hand slipped from Amon's and she fell, hitting her head on the ground two stories below.

"Robin! Robin!" Maha screamed, then she glared at Maria, who stood up and laughed coldly. Amon's eyes were full of anger as he tried to pull out his orbo gun that he slipped into his pocket. He had it aimed for Maria's head, when she flipped out of his hands and behind her. "You think you are going to shoot me again, in revenge for your little girlfriend? You must think of me as a fool," she said.

Her boasting did not last too long as three shots of orbo entered into her back. She fell backwards, her eyes closed and her body faint. "Well, that got her. Good job, Sakaki," spoke Karasuma's voice. Maha and Amon saw their faces pop out from above. Their hands leaned in to grab them and pull them in.

* * *

Doujima sat in Amon's car, watching over Robin as she laid unconscious in the back. When she, Karasuma, and Sakaki entered into the building, Doujima was in charge of making sure Robin safely got back to the car and was carefully watched over her until they returned.

"Miss Doujima!" she heard Maha calling her. She stepped out of the car as Maha approached her. "How's Robin? Is she all right?" she asked with a tone of worry in her voice. "I heard her moan a few times from pain, so she's fine. There doesn't seem to be any broken bones either, which surprised me a lot," Doujima explained. Amon and the others approached the two ladies. "Maria has been taken to the Factory. I'll get Robin to the hospital. You four should get back to STN-J and fill Michael in on everything and write up your reports," Amon said. They all nodded and went on their separate ways. Amon entered into the car and looked at Robin. Her eyes began to open slightly. "A-Amon..." she whispered weakly. "Don't worry, Robin. I'm taking you to the hospital. You'll be all right soon," he said. "Is Maria...?" she tried to asked, but her eyes drifted closed again as her weak body tried to recover from the blows it received. Amon sighed and turned around. He started the car and headed for the hospital.

* * *

In our final chapter, Robin recovers and Maha leaves to go back to America. But a certain note is left behind just for Michael.

The next chapter: Recovery and Good Byes


	6. Recovery and Goodbyes

Chapter 6: Recovery and Good Byes

When Robin awoke the next day, everything she experienced rushed back to her in a flash. Her weak eyes opened to see Maha sleeping in a corner of the room and Amon was leaning against a corner, his head hung slightly as if he was asleep, but Robin knew better. "Amon..." Robin whispered and Amon's head lifted up and looked at her. "Robin, you're awake. Great. Maha, wake up," he said. Maha stirred and moaned, then lifted up and smiled. "Robin!" she exclaimed and ran to her side. Slowly, Robin sat up in her bed and Maha embraced her, being careful around her bandaged arm.

"Thank God you are all right, Robin. I was so worried after you fell. I thought you might have...left us," Maha said, sniffing as she hugged Robin tightly. She could feel Maha's tears stream down her shoulder and neck and Robin could only smile. "Maha, calm down. I'm fine now," she said. Maha let her go and sniffled a few more times, then stood up. "Well, now that you are awake and safe, I'm going to get some tea. I'll be right back," she said, walking slowly out the door, her sniffling stopping.

Silence creeped over the room. Robin stared at Amon, who began to walk to her bedside. She smiled at him, but his lips stayed straight and his eyes were full of guilt and pain. He grabbed her hand and placed it to his face. "I'm so sorry, Robin. I couldn't keep the promise I made to you," he muttered softly, his voice slightly cracking. Robin only smiled and moved her hand under his chin, lifting his face to look straight at hers. "You got me here. You stopped Maria from burning me anymore than she did. You kept your promise, Amon," she said. She leaned in slightly and gently brushed her lips to his. Then she leaned back and looked at him, his eyes full of surprise and happiness and her face holding a light pink blush. He smiled at her then held her close to him. Robin smiled and sighed into his chest, happy and at peace and safety.

* * *

_Three days later..._

"Good morning everyone!" Robin said with excitement as she entered the STN-J headquarters. Her co-workers looked to the doorway and beamed with happiness to see Robin all well and safe. They each greeted her with a hug, except for Chief Kosaka, who only offered a hello and a command for everyone to get back to work. Amon and Maha entered just a few minutes later. "Robin. It's time for me to get going. You coming to the airport with us?" Maha asked, her voice soft as before. Robin only nodded. After a few hugs from the gang and a thank you, the three left out.

_Flight 43, bound for New York City, America, is boarding now. Please have your passport checked and board the plane. Flight 43 will lift off in less than 15 minutes._

A lingering embrace of friends was all that Amon could see as Robin and Maha began to say their goodbyes. It would be a long time before the pair could see each other again.

"I'll come back one day. And who knows? Maybe I'll stay that time."

"That would be wonderful."

Maha lifted up her bag, then bowed to Amon. She turned to grabbed her newly stamped passport and left down a corridor to her plane, leaving Amon and Robin alone to see her go. Robin only sighed and wiped a tear from her eye. Amon looked at her and wrapped one arm around her shoulders. She looked up at him and smiled. "Let's go back to STN-J," Robin said, then they both turned and walked back to the car.

* * *

Back at STN-J...

Michael was alone. Everyone except for him went to get some lunch over at Harry's. He sighed and continued to type at his computer. A folded-up paper from Maha laid on his desk. He looked at the note, then picked up to read it again.

_Dear Michael,_

_Although now I must leave, I'll never forget you. During the time when Robin was hurt, I'm glad I could turn to you for comfort. One day I'll come back to Japan, and when that time comes, I'll stay for good. Until then, keep in touch when you can. You have my number and my message name._

_With love and smiles, Maha_

_P.S. Tell me what Robin does at work for now on. I want to know if she "spills her heart" to a certain someone._

He smiled as he placed the note in his back pocket. Then he turned back to his computer and continued typing. '_I'll wait for that day_,' he thought, his mind soon drifting back to his work.


End file.
